It was all peace and quiet. The crickets of the night had finished their orchestra presentation long before that time. Yes, there seemed to be no worry in the world, that is, not until...
"Ring! Ring! Ring!" Ah yes, it was that same sound that brought her back to 'the land of misery' every morning by 5:00am.
She always woke up with a glum on her face and today was no different. It was about time to get ready for her nine to five. It was the same inevitable everyday routine for this 35 year old spinster.
She got ready and headed for work where she was assigned a duty post which, ideally, required a very much distinct demeanor from the employee than that which she possessed- a cashier. Nobody could quite put a finger on the reason why she would be allowed to work at that post when she deserved to be cleaning the toilets, possessing that kind of gloomy face.
As quiet as she seemed, she sure did know how to put up a fight. Her pugnacious behaviours usually became manifest as soon as the door right in front of her opened up and she beheld the bane of her existence which was other people.
She believed she had not even an ounce of good in her. Nobody had ever told her too. And so, for that reason, she hated humans.
Today, just like every other day, the part of the door that said "Pull" from where she sat was pushed inside. In her mind she thought with sarcasm, "Yippee! Another wonderful customer."
This little boy had wandered into the supermarket that afternoon to spend the 20 bucks he had so richly earned from his dad on chocolate.
With haste, the little boy picked his favorite and came straight to her for the checkout which she instantly handled. She then lifted her focus away from the cash register and looked at the little boy. She was shocked. The little boy just couldn't stop staring at her. It was as though he had just looked upon the face of the Most High.
"What do you want, you brat?" she said with so much fury in her voice. At that, the boy took some steps backwards. If only the lady could whip him, she would. However, the next words that proceeded from the boy's mouth into her hearing might as well have been like heaven on earth, like a healing to her heart and a kiss to her soul.
*Ma'am," the boy said "I've never seen a face as beautiful as yours. You do a very good job too." Before the lady could process his words, he had already scurried off, alternating the position of the chocolate bar in his hand between thin air and the insides of his mouth.
There the lady was, as stiff as a grave stone and with her eyes wide open. She didn't even realize when a tear rolled down her cheek. A tear turned into two, then three, then five, then a profuse sob.
Never had she felt so appreciated. Never had she felt so important.
For the remaining days to come, she was a new person. Her sudden joyful demeanor was a surprise to everyone. She got along easily with people and made so many good friends. From a little boy did she learn how to appreciate others and most importantly, herself.
However, search as much as she may, she never saw that little boy again.
Sincere Appreciation
I cooked up this short story here to illustrate something.
In Dale Carnegie's book, "How To Win Friends and Influence People," the power of sincere appreciation is one of the many things talked about.
You can really do a lot of good in a person's life by making the person feel important. Everybody craves the need to feel appreciated, including you and I.
With your appreciation for a person, you might never know if you just ended a person's life long misery or just saved a potential suicide victim.
People desire the need to feel loved and important.
You can help them. Let the will to unconditionally appreciate people wherever you find them follow you. It will not just change your life, but help countless people live through their days.
Thank you.
Let's Go Hive!